Over 30 million tons of litter are discarded throughout the UK annually, causing visible eyesores in communities, endangering wildlife, and incurring an estimated cost of £1 billion for clean-up efforts.
Fortunately, Keep Britain Tidy’s initiatives, the Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean, will be held from March 13-29, with hundreds of thousands of individuals expected to participate in beautifying their surroundings. Since its inception as a one-time occasion in 2016, Litter Heroes have demonstrated their commitment by collecting over 4.5 million bags of trash from various locations like streets, parks, fields, riverbanks, and beaches.
The Great British Spring Clean is scheduled for March 13-29. Interested participants can register at keepbritaintidy.org to pledge the number of bin bags they intend to collect, whether as a group, individual, or school. Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers engaged in the clean-up, filling approximately 462,000 bags, with 95% of respondents acknowledging the positive impact on their local areas.
Among this year’s advocates is civil servant Emdad Rahman, a Litter Hero Ambassador supported by People’s Postcode Lottery. Emdad promotes environmental consciousness through his Little Litter League program, emphasizing the importance of education in fostering lasting change.
Emdad is joined by other champions such as Sarah Drakes, sustainability manager at Nestlé Confectionery UK&I, and Rob Edwards, an area coach at KFC UK&I, who have been long-term supporters of the Great British Spring Clean. Mars Wrigley is also a key partner, financing the Chewing Gum Task Force to combat gum litter, resulting in significant reductions in gum waste.
The Great British Spring Clean offers an opportunity to contribute positively to your community, and interested individuals can commit to collecting litter starting from February 13. Keep Britain Tidy’s CEO, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, commended the efforts of volunteers like Emdad for removing millions of bags of litter, while Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, praised the community’s dedication to environmental protection.
This year’s campaign is made possible by the support of People’s Postcode Lottery players, media partners Bauer Media Outdoor, Magic Radio, The Mirror, and collaborating partners KFC UK&I, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Pepsi Max, and Walkers. The Great British Spring Clean also encompasses Spring Clean Cymru in Wales (March 13-29) and Spring Clean Scotland in Scotland (March 13-April 24).
